The other way--the fun way, I might say--to play is the "smash and crash" style of racing. Instead of drafting, you basically play bumper cars at 180 mph as you make your way around the track.

Each car has a health meter, yours included, and as you bump into other vehicles, the meters on both vehicles decrease. When an opponent car's health reaches zero, it explodes up and away from the track in a huge burning fireball, landing with a satisfying crash, leaving a burned-out hulk on the pavement.

Thankfully, the Days of Thunder safety teams and pit crews are some of the best in the business, as your competitor is soon back on the track, in a shiny pristine car, once again trading paint with you. Oh, how the Nascar teams wish it were that easy!

So what happens when your car's health meter reaches zero? You come to a complete stop in the middle of the track for a five-second delay. You're then replenished with a minimum amount of health, and can start racing again. This penalty is painful when you're trying to win a race, so it needs to be avoided at all costs. To replenish your health without suffering the five-second pause, you need to tap a Pit button that appears when you pass your pits each lap.

Once in the pits, you'll see two meters--one indicates your track position, the other your car's health. It's up to you as to how long you sit in the pits; the longer you stay, the more health you get, but the worse your track position will be when you emerge.